Aeronautes

A few years ago, I wrote about White-throated Swifts (Aeronautes saxatilis) at AT&T Park in San Francisco — review the "Sky Sailors" post from 1 July 2012.  

We were at the park last night and I was thrilled to see several swifts actively feeding.  In 2012, I only managed blurry silhouettes, but this year I ended up with one shot showing the white throat and belly (they remind me of Orcas!).  

 

White-throated Swifts are so fast that it's hard to photograph them, especially with dim light, and between innings!  Some day I hope to have a chance in easier conditions. 

Mystery spot

 

This might be tough, but can you guess where this photograph of a Common Green Darner (Anax junius) was taken?

Here's a more helpful clue:

 

It might also help to tell you that I was in San Francisco today.

Could you tell that these pictures were taken at a baseball field?  All of them were taken at AT&T Park on 27 August 2015.  The dragonflies were a nice bonus to an exciting baseball game!

In the past —  see the post from 1 July 2012 — I've mentioned that I have some fun when attending baseball games by keeping track of bird and insect sightings.

Today the most visible dragonflies were Common Green Darners.  They were actively feeding along the edges of the field.  I'm not sure exactly how many individuals were in the Park, but I photographed at least three at one time:

 

Although distant, I also photographed one tandem (male/female) pair of green darners:

 

And today I added one new "ballpark species" to my list.  I didn't get a photograph, but I saw one Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata).  I'd love to hear about your bird and dragonfly sightings at baseball games!

 

Sky sailors

A friend of mine kept a list of "ballpark birds" and other species he observed at sporting venues.  I can't help thinking that he would have been impressed with White-throated Swift (Aeronautes saxatilis).

 

These aren't very good photos, but it seemed worth posting them since White-throated Swifts are so awe-inspiring.  And perhaps it will encourage other people to keep an eye out for them if attending a SF Giants game at AT&T Park.  Photos were taken there on 29 June 2012.  (Has anyone seen them at the Oakland Coliseum or Candlestick Park?)

 

Note the long wings and relatively long tail.  The tail has a shallow notch (see next photo).  Unfortunately, their striking black-and-white plumage is not visible in these images.

 

The genus, Aeronautes, means "sky sailor."  It describes how they take advantage of air currents and updrafts, as well as their amazing speed and agility in flight.  These birds were foraging within and just above the upper deck of the park.  But I read that White-throated Swifts were once observed at an air mass convergence zone at 2,500 meters (or 8,202 feet, or 1.5 miles!).

 

Here are a few other shots taken from the ferry on the way to the park (below).  Both are looking west — one with the Golden Gate Bridge and fog in the background, the other with a silhouette of Alcatraz Island.

 

 

P.S.  I've also seen some nice dragonflies at AT&T Park — probably the best so far is a Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata).